The 38-year-old center-back Linda Sembrant announces she is ending her national team career after the upcoming bronze matches against France in the Nations League. The decision follows 17 years in the senior team, with 158 caps and 19 goals. She describes it as the hardest choice of her life.
Linda Sembrant, who debuted for the national team in 2008, has made the toughest decision of her career: to leave the Swedish women's national football team. The ongoing camp will be her last, ending with the bronze matches against France in the Nations League—first on Friday in France and then on Wednesday in Stockholm.
"It is the toughest decision I have taken and I will probably never be completely ready to take it", Sembrant tells Dagens Nyheter. To SVT Sport, she elaborates: "It is probably the hardest decision I have made. I think I will never be completely ready. But it is still with pride that I stand here today and can make this decision."
Over her 17-year international career, Sembrant has played 158 matches and scored 19 goals. She has won three World Cup bronzes (2011, 2019, and 2023) and two Olympic silvers (2016 and 2021). Since this summer, she plays for AIK in Sweden, after a long career abroad, including Montpellier in France from 2014.
When she told the team about the decision yesterday, there were many tears. "There have really been a lot of emotions in the last few days", she says. Sembrant emphasizes her pride in maintaining a high level for so long and plans to enjoy the final days. "I will really try to enjoy. To really take in and feel the match here in France and in Stockholm with family and friends, which feels like a perfect end to my career."
Coach Tony Gustavsson, who trained her at Tyresö, praises her: "She has not left anyone untouched with her way of being as a person, player, and leader. She contributes professionalism and heart in everything she does." The decision marks the end of an era for Swedish women's football.